Breweries

Posted in Oskar Blues Brewing, Don't Miss This, New Releases

Oskar Blues launches 100 calorie One-y IPA nationwide

The craft beer industry continues to expand the lower-calorie offerings industry-wide. Dogfish Head, Southern Tier, and Harpoon are among a few notable breweries that added low-cal, low-ABV options earlier this summer. Bell’s Brewery is currently prepping a “light” version of Two Hearted Ale dubbed Light-Hearted Ale for early 2020. Now, nationally distributed Oskar Blues is launching One-y IPA.

Beginning in mid-September, Oskar Blues One-y IPA will join the light beer fray, described as “low-cal” and “high haze.” The brewery’s goal was to create an IPA that huge, hazy, and hoppy, without the calorie count of a regular IPA or Imperial IPA.

Juice Drapeau, the head brewer at Oskar Blues pilot brewery in Lyons, Colorado did so with a heavy hit of hops. One-y IPA is dry-hopped with El Dorado, Comet and Citra hops, with Mosaic and French Aramis added to the whirlpool.

“The aroma hits you first. There are notes of citrus, honeysuckle, peach, and mango. The beer is fruity with a hop haze and a nice biscuit flavor to the malt. The use of pale ale malt and wheat, along with the hefty dry hop load, creates a medium body. It’s easy to drink – pairs well with breakfast, lunch, or dinner.”

Oskar Blues One-y IPA is just 4% alcohol by volume, and 100 calories per 12-ounce serving. Available nationwide year-round this month.

Style: Hazy IPA
Hops: El Dorado, Comet, Citra, Mosaic, French Aramis

Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft. Year-Round.
Debut: Mid-September 2019

4% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Three Taverns Brewery, Coming Soon

Three Taverns has canned Pometheus for the first time

Three Taverns Pometheus is being canned for the first time. The Decatur, Georgia based brewery will debut the new format this weekend. 

Pometheus is a part of the brewery’s ongoing Sour Asylum Series, which features an array of various kettle-soured beers. This particular release has been a draft-only favorite in the taproom, prompting the brewery to finally can this superfruit delight.

Pomegranate and blueberries plus a touch of lactose milk sugar is the brewing combination that makes Pometheus so popular. The pomegranate is slightly tart, the blueberries slightly sweet, and each sip finishes with a smooth creaminess from the milk sugar.

Three Taverns Pometheus will be available on Saturday, September 21st when the brewery opens.

Style: Sour Ale (w/ Pomegranate. Blueberries. Lactose.)
Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft. Limited Release.
Debut (Cans): 9/21/19

5% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Wild Leap Brew Co., Coming Soon

“Transcontinental” Wild Leap ETA IPA coming mid-month

Wild Leap ETA IPA, a “transcontinental IPA” according to the brewery debuts in mid-September. 

Chris Elliott, Wild Leap’s head brewer, states this release is a much drier India pale ale that the IPAs they have brewed before. These new hop combinations combined with a big addition of oats have created a medium-bodied IPA with a fluffy mouthfeel.

ETA is a dryer IPA than any we have ever brewed and will fall behind both the Alpha Abstraction series and Chance IPA in sweetness.” – Chris Elliott

As for the “transcontinental” description, that’s tied to the artwork. The blue and green can was drawn with a 70’s vibe. “In the ’70’s, flying was a luxurious experience, not the rat race that it is today,” explains Rob Goldstein, CMO and brewery Co-Founder.

Look for Wild Leap ETA IPA mid-month in 12-ounce cans and draft.

Style: IPA
Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft.
Debut: Mid-September 2019

7% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Terrapin Beer Company, Headlines

Terrapin Beer Co. makes a big commitment to solar energy

Athens, Georgia based Terrapin Beer Company has formed a partnership with Atlanta’s Cherry Street Energy. Through the partnership, Terrapin becomes the first brewery in the state to purchase solar energy directly at their facility.

Cherry Street Energy installed solar arrays on the brewery’s roof, as well as sunshades in the brewery parking lot. In total, the solar infrastructure will offset nearly 30% of the Terrapin’s energy consumption.

The 30% offset equates to 339 tons of CO2e, saving 362 acres of U.S. forest a year. Think of it like taking almost 70 cars off the road, annually. Cherry Street Energy owns and operates the array, allowing Terrapin avoid steep upfront costs for the panels. CSE will sell the green energy back to the brewery at a competetive rate over their traditonal power utility.

The solar addtion is part of a larger initiatve Terrrapin calls “Terraprint,” which envelops all of the brewery’s sustainability efforts, from water conservation, soil conservation, and energy use.

“Every decision we make at the brewery has an effect. Be it the local waterways we pull from, the energy each shift consumes, the soil we help build through composting, or any of the resources we draw on to manufacture, we choose to be aware of these effects and strive to keep our impact on these resources to a minimum.” – Dustin Watts, President – Terrapin Beer Company

Over the past year, Terrapin has rolled out various sustainability improvements at their Athens facility, including LED lighting installation, steam recapture, waste compost, and the additon of a “no-idling” policy on campus.

Watts is overseeing the Terraprint Initiative. In the many years of interviews with Beer Street Journal, Watts has called for comment everywhere from the brewing deck, to mountain bike trails and hiking trails all over the world. “Sierra Nevada and New Belgium are leaders in brewery sustainablilty,” he says.

“For myself and Terrapin, Terraprint is about what is best for the communities and the enviroment. That’s what matters to us.”

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Hi Wire Brewing, Seasonal Return

Hi-Wire Pink Drink returns again this month

Hi-Wire Pink Drink, a fan favorite, will be available in cans for the 4th time this month.

Previously a draft only favorite, Hi-Wire Pink Drink is a kettle-soured wheat ale brewed with lemongrass and raspberries. The end result is a pink beer, thanks to big additon of the berries (the brewery compares it to beer’s version of pink lemonade). Hi-Wire finally packaged this release for the first time in fall 2016 and the brewery’s fans very literally drank every last drop they had.

…an ultra crushable tart wheat ale with lemongrass & raspberries; simple, refreshing, & pink.

Hi-Wire Pink Drink is back in 16-ounce cans across the brewery’s southern distribution footprint in September.

Style: Wheat Ale (w/ Raspberries, Lemongrass)
Availability: 16oz Cans, Draft. Limited Release.
Latest Return: September 2019

4.2% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Mother Earth Brew Co, New Releases

Mother Earth Groove Rider kicks of new “Project X” Series

California’s Mother Earth Brew Co. begins a new series: Project X: Beer + Art as August winds down.

This one-off series will feature limited release, specialty beers, focused what Mother Earth Brew calls “big impressions” from the first sip to last. This first release taps the very popular hazy India pale ale style.

RELATED: MOTHER EARTH DEBUTS VANILLA ICE CREAM CREAM ALE

Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo, and Nelson were chosen for Groove Rider to create an intensely aromatic hop experience.

Finishes dry enough to be West-Coast, but fruity enough to be East Coast. It’s everything you’d want from a hazy in 2019.

The can artwork was done by 48beerproject. The Project X: Beer + Art Series will be an ongoing indie artwork/brewing project.

Mother Earth Groove Rider is available across the entire brewery’s distribution footprint in 16-ounce cans and draft for a limited time starting at the end of August 2019.

Style: Hazy IPA
Hops: Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo, Nelson Sauvin
Malts: 2-Row, White Wheat, Oats, Acidulated

Availability: 16oz Cans, Draft. Limited Release.
Debut: Late August 2019

6.6% ABV, 30 IBUS

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Philipsburg Brewing Company, Coming Soon

Montana: Philipsburg Brewing Vorfreude coming in September

Philipsburg Brewing Vorfreude debuts in September, an all-new release by the Montana based brewery. 

Finally, lagers are hot again in the craft brewing industry. Coming to Philipsburg Brewing’s lineup in September is a new Vienna Lager – Vorfreude. The German word for which the beer gets its name doesn’t have an English counterpart. Best we can figure out, it means “joyful anticipation”.

Vorfreude is built on Vienna and Munich malts from Proximity Malts. Philipsburg uses whole flower hops in all their beer releases. For this lager, the brewing team chose Nugget for bittering, and Tettnager for aroma.

Interestingly, Philipsburg uses Ball Alumi-tek reclosable aluminum pints for all their year-round releases. Sun King in Indiana uses similar packaging for their specialty/barrel-aged releases. Few if any other craft breweries are actively using this format year-round.

Philipsburg Vorfreude will be available in 16-ounce Alumi-tek bottles and draft starting in mid-September through March 2020.

Style: Vienna Lager
Hops: Tettnanger, Nugget (Whole Flower)
Malts: Vienna, Munich
Yeast: Bavarian Lager

Availability: 16oz Aluminum Bottles, Draft. Sept-March
Debut: September 2019

5.2% ABV

by Reid Ramsay